Live and Disappointed?

So Im getting ready to throw down a whopping 150$ to attend a "comeback" concert featuring 2 bands i really like. Like REALLY REALLY like. And Im scared. I've got a kinda "sophie's choice" to make, reader!

Do i deliberately rob myself of the joys of fantasy and step into the ugly, ugly world of reality with the hopes that MAYBE, just MAYBE, it will be what i always hoped it would be? Or, do i not attend and perhaps miss one of the better shows I will get to see in my life?

Yes, you do sense a twinge of hostility here. Its because Ive spent a fair amount of my time and money (the former being more personally important) seeing bands that were great on record, but absolute SHIT live. I've seen the "we hate the audience" shows. I've seen the "we're too drunk/high to perform properly shows". And you know, it never interfered with my enjoyment of the bands performance. In fact, in the case of the hottest messes on the planet, Black Grape (Happy Mondays), it made the show the best thing ever.

BUT, the "phone it in" concerts are a totally different story. I reserve my worst contempt for those bands and those shows. And I've been to a LOT of them. What is missing in these shows is an effort; an effort which I paid some cash to see. Even in the case of the "we hate the audience", the bands were usually such narcissists and therefore, obsessed with sounding perfect. The hot mess concerts are usually funny as hell. So those are win wins. The phone it ins are ALWAYS lose-lose.

Although the Tibetan Freedom Concert was the worst show I have ever been to (collectively- that thing was horrible and its why i wont go to a festival show EVER AGAIN) here is the band whose concert was the WORST THING I EVER SAW IN MY LIFE.

HISS!!!!! Oh how destroyed was I after this show? Heartbroken. I LOVED this record. I think this may actually be the first time I've been able to listen to this since that show. It was about 6 years ago. That should clue you in on how terrible it was. I went with my boss (yes, i had a cool boss) and my man and i learned that night that as you age, your expectations as to what is musically entertaining is way lower. Nothing like being disappointed and then being told you just saw the greatest show in your life by someone with authority over you. And trying not to hurt their feelings when you disagree with em.

Television had NO excuse. B/c Gang of Four, also on a comeback tour of sorts, were, well JUST GREAT.

Ha ha snob! I posted "Is it Love".

People who like Gang of Four usually HATE this song. Like really hate it, considering it semi blasphemous that, egads, a No Wave band did a pop song. I think those people are dumb. I dont care that, oooh Go4 did a pop song. And you know what? When I learn how to sample songs and make music Im ripping the hell out of this and re-doing it. And Im STILL more punk rock than you.

But back to my discussion of live shows.

I really prepared myself for Gang of Four to stink when i finally got to see them live. I almost didnt buy a ticket b/c i didnt want to repeat the television experience. And you know what? They were AWESOME. SO GOOD. Everything. The sound, the crowd, the set they did. EVERYTHING. It made me like them even more, and i was a really big fan already.

My moms favorite concert is cooler than mine!

She saw them open up for Hall and Oates! And she became a huge fan afterwards. Said they were the greatest thing she ever saw live. And im inclined to believe her. Also DJ is my hometown hero; he goes to the old folks homes and entertains them sometimes. That warms even MY cold heart; I gush at that sort of stuff. My guess is he doesn't do many NYD songs tho which I guess is a shame huh?

But back to me. Another great show? Def Leppard at Jones Beach

Again, I had NO expectations for this show to be good. All it did was pleasantly surprise me all evening. The tailgating party was incredibly "heavy metal parking lot" and the show itself was fantastic. The crowd was HIGHLY entertaining; even going so far as to injure others with their hair and getting forced to move somewhere else. Not even getting lost for an hour and a half on a long and SCARY Long Island road afterwards dampened my enjoyment of the evening.

I wont even bother posting the hip hop shows bc 8 out of 10 times they were great. And Ive seen too many of them. Dollar fo' dollar, the hip hop show were ALWAYS worth it, unless i had some sort of personal crisis during one Enjoying yourself at a hop hop show is like shooting fish in a barrel. But the best?



When the wife of one of the headliners is having a baby at the moment the show starts and so they have to parade almost every hip hop act in the tri state area out on the stage to make time for a new De La Soul to be born! I cant even remember how many artists i saw that night. One after the other, people just kept coming on stage.

Ill have to ask if Camp Lo was one of those bands, but in my mind they were. I am preeeetty sure that was the show where i saw CL- I know my boy was at it. And when I say "boy" i meant my boy at the time, the boy in camp lo, and my boy years later (now: husband). Me and CL's paths did not cross that night. My then boy and my husband's did. Go figure.

This is it what? A stupid video with lyrics that are shit, what?
Oh totally. But I love this song. And that was a really fun show. For a lot of reasons, not even including the irony.

I've decided. Actually someone else decided for me! YAY! See you there. Wish me luck.